March 31, 2026
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Key takeaways:
- Sudden team cuts can hit hard. Capture knowledge before it walks out the door!
- Reassess team capacity vs. responsibilities, prioritize “keep the lights on” work, and align with stakeholders on what gets cut, delayed, or re-scoped.
- Plan for a smaller team (for a while). Explore internal staffing options and be mindful that team changes are costly and take time.
Experienced engineering managers know that their teams ebb and flow with time. No team truly stays the same forever. In the best case scenario, your team will grow in size with new hires, but what happens when you lose engineers and your team suddenly shrinks?
In the age of mass layoffs, acquisitions, and return-to-office mandates, many managers may find themselves in the strange situation of leading a team that suddenly, in the course of a day or a few weeks, is much smaller in size.
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March 31, 2026
